Kevin Owens

At 39 years old, Kevin Owens has this physical status:

Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens.Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16.

Prior to joining WWE in late 2014, from 2007, Steen wrestled under his birth name for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he held the ROH World Championship and ROH World Tag Team Championship.

Steen also wrestled extensively on the independent circuit for 14 years, most notably in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where he held the PWG World Championship a record three times, as well as the PWG World Tag Team Championship on three occasions.Steen also competed for International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS), where he held three times the IWS World Heavyweight Championship, All American Wrestling (AAW), where he held the AAW Heavyweight Championship; and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), where he held the CZW Iron Man Championship.

He wrestled under the Kevin Owens name in WWE's developmental branch NXT, where he was a one-time NXT Champion, before debuting on the main roster in May 2015.

He has since held the Universal Championship once, the Intercontinental Championship twice, and the United States Championship three times.

Early life

Kevin Steen was born on May 7, 1984, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, and raised in Marieville, Quebec, 18 miles east of Montreal. He has a brother named Edward Lower. He is of French-Canadian and Irish descent and speaks French as his first language. He learned to speak English by mimicking everything he heard while watching WWE Monday Night Raw. Steen participated in ice hockey, soccer, and baseball, but never considered developing a career out of them—especially soccer, after suffering an injury at age 11—and instead considered becoming a professional wrestler after he and his father watched a videotape of the match between Diesel and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XI.

Personal life

Steen married Karina Lamer in 2007. They have a son named Owen (named after Owen Hart, with Steen dedicating his WWE ring name to both his son and Hart) and a daughter named Élodie Leila. At the end of the DDT4 Night One event in May 2008, Steen's then-six-month-old son appeared in a segment with Excalibur in which Excalibur called Steen's son "ugly", prompting Steen to perform three consecutive package piledrivers on him before placing his son on top of Excalibur for the pinfall.

Steen is a close friend of fellow Canadian wrestler Rami Sebei, currently known in WWE as Sami Zayn, with the pair's onscreen characters teaming up or feuding with each other various times since they first met in 2002.

Source

Professional wrestling career

When Steen was 14 years old, his parents allowed him to begin training with Serge Jodoin, a Quebec wrestler. Steen began training with Jacques Rougeau the following year. Terry Taylor, whom he also called his "main trainer" since being coached. In L'Assomption, Quebec, Steen played his first match on May 7, 2000 (his 16th birthday) on May 7, 2000 (his 16th birthday). Steen worked with Rougeau and competed for Rougeau's promotion for four years before beginning to wrestle in several other Canadian promotions.

Steen made his International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) debut at Born to Bleed on August 16, 2003. In a triple threat match on October 18, 2003, Pierre Carl Ouellet defeated El Generico and Steen at Blood, Sweat, and Beers. El Generico defeated Steen in their first-ever singles match against each other on November 15 at Payback's A Bitch. On June 15, 2004, the IWS held its 5th anniversary show "V" in Le SPAG, where El Generico defeated PCO in an IWS championship match to win his first IWS World Heavyweight Championship, only to have Steen cash in his #1 contenderry against Excess 69. Steen defeated El Generico, who also won his first IWS World Heavyweight Championship. In defeating Roderick Strong in Rahway, New Jersey, Steen's first championship appearance in 2004 marked a pivotal moment in the sport's history when he became the first IWS World Heavyweight Champion to internationally defend the title.

Steen defeated Jay Briscoe on September 22, 2007, at Blood, Sweat & Beers. El Generico defeated Steen for the IWS World Heavyweight Championship on February 16, 2008 at Violent Valentine. Steen, a former wrestler and former champion of the IWS World Heavyweight Championship, regained the IWS World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Max Boyer & former champion El Generico in a 3-Way match on March 22, 2008. Steen won the IWS Canadian Championship in an IWS Championship Unification match on May 24, 2008.

Steen made his Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) debut on September 10, 2004, where SeXXXF MvW defeated Steen, El Generico & Excess 69 in an IWS 4-Way Match, which was unofficially dubbed "CZW Match of the Year" by the year's most popular.

Steen qualified to the finals after defeating Kenny The Bastard in the first round and Chris Hero in the second round. He was unable to clench the trophy, though he lost in the finals of a pivotal four-way match involving B-Boy, Super Dragon, and Mike Quackenbush.

Steen won the CZW Iron Man Championship just a few months after winning Franky The Mobster in August. In individual matches against Nate Webb, El Generico, Chris Sabin, and Super Dragon, he continued to defend the title. Steen lost the Ironman Championship to female wrestler LuFisto in a steel cage match at CZW Trapped, involving The Canadians, The Blackout, The Forefathers of CZW, and Eddie Kingston. He lost the championship a day before being a year-long champion. He then went on to a tour with Dragon Gate but did not return to CZW until February 2008, when he made a one-time appearance and defeated Vordell Walker to a no contest.

Steen returned to CZW six years ago, playing in two matches for the promotion in 2014. Steen first was defeated by Japanese competitor Masato Tanaka before defeating D. J. Hyde twenty-two days later at an event in Rhode Island.

Steen started working for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) while wrestling in CZW. Steen was born in PWG on May 13, 2005, when he helped Excalibur defeat Super Dragon in a Guerrilla Warfare match, revealing himself as the fake Super Dragon. Steen defeated A.J. on August 6, 2005, beating them in the PWG Championship. [Shouldn't Run] is a fictional story about zombies [Shouldn't Run]. Steen held the title for almost four months before losing the title to Joey Ryan at Chanukah Chaos (The C's Are Silent) due to Super Dragon interference. Steen's feud with Super Dragon began in 2005 at Astonish X-Mas, where he was defeated in a Guerrilla Warfare match.

Steen began working with El Generico in 2006 and the PWG World Tag Team Championship was a goal. Steen and Generico defeated the reigning champions, PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions on July 29, 2007. They defended the belts for almost three months before losing them to Davey Richards and Super Dragon in England on October 27 as part of PWG's "European Vacation II" tour. Steen joined PAC in an effort to regain the belts from Dragon and Richards, announcing before the game that if he lost, he would leave the organization indefinitely. Steen and the PAC lost, resulting in Steen's departure from PWG.

Steen returned to PWG, but the title was won by El Generico for the second time, this time from The Dynasty (Joey Ryan and Scott Lost) on March 21, 2008, an impromptu match. Steen and Generico became the first team in PWG history to be a member of the annual "Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Championship Tournament" to defend the belts in each match they played. They lost the title to Jack Evans and Roderick Strong in the tournament finals, effectively ending their second reign. Steen resigned from PWG after ROH's interest in it sparked. Steen said he could not compete for ROH and PWG at the same time while choosing ROH because of the funds and exposure.

Steen returned to Ring of Honor in a losing bid to the Briscoe Brothers on February 17, 2007. Mark Briscoe returned to the midst of a match between Steen and Generico and his brother Jay and Erick Stevens on April 14th. Mark was attacked by the pair but Steen pinned him after a parcel piledriver. Steen (as a heel) and Generico (as a face) defeated Jason Blade and Eddie Edwards on May 11, 1981. In a Tag Team Scramble dark match, Steen and El Generico defeated The Irish Airborne (Jake and Dave Crist), Pelle Primeau and Mitch Franklin (Jake and Dave Crist), and Jimmy Rave and Adam Pearce in a Respect is Earned. Steen and El Generico brawl with the Briscoe Brothers that night, with Mark Briscoe suffering a minor concussion from a steel chair shot. The Briscoe Brothers won the ROH World Tag Team Championship at Driven on September 21, defeating Steen and El Generico to keep the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On August 24, Steen and Generico suffered three straight losses to the Briscoes at Caged Rage, while Manhattan Mayhem II suffered in a three-out of three falls match, and Man Up was a ladder match on November 30. In a non-title Boston Street Fight, the Coscoes' only tag team victory over the Briscoes was at Death Before Dishonor V. Night 1.

Steen and Generico competed in a one-night tournament to crown new ROH World Tag Team Champions, defeating Go Shiozaki and ROH World Champion Nigel McGuiness in the first round, but losing to Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black in the finals on June 6, 2008. Steen met ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness in a title match for the company's debut exhibition in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but Steen lost the match. Steen and Generico defeated The Age of the Fall in Boston on September 19 to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. This was also fulfilled Steen's pledge to win a title in ROH before the Dayton show on November 21. At a television taping on April 10, 2009, they lost the championship to The American Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards).

Steen turned heel on December 19 at Final Battle, ROH's first live pay-per-view, after losing to The Young Bucks, Steen screamed at his tag team partner El Generico. Steen then found a new partner in Steve Corino. The Big Bang! appeared in the following pay per view. Generico and Cabana defeated Steen and Corino by disqualification on April 3, 2010, when Steen used a chair on his ex partner's behalf. Steen defeated El Generico in a singles match on June 19 at Death Before Dishonor VIII. As Cabana coerced Corino to call off, Glory By Honor IX, Generico and Cabana defeated Steen and Corino in a Double Chain match on September 11th, when Cabano ordered Corino to tap out. Steen sacked El Generico and unveiled him after the match. Steen and Generico's year-long feud ended in an unsanctioned Fight Without Honor, where Steen's ROH career was on the line against Generico's mask. Steen, on the other hand, did not like the idea because if he lost money, he would have lost money, but in the end, he decided to the match because ROH would use Generico as a top wrestler after the feud. El Generico won the match and thus banned Steen out of ROH, and so did Steen. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the feud was rated as the year's best feud.

Kevin Steen's employment with Ring of Honor came to an end due to financial hardships, which later played a role in the match's terms. Steen wrote the majority of the El Generico rivalry storyline himself, though he claims that his poor relationship with new booker Jim Cornette, who had no interest in either Steen or Generico, resulted in a lot of frustration for him. During the feud, ROH booker Adam Pearce told Steen that he would be the main event in the Final Battle, but Cornette gave Davey Richards-Eddie Edwards the main event and Steen-Generico after the fact. Steen also claims that Cornette "froze" him out of ROH, despite the fact that the promotion's president Cary Silkin was kept in the dark as to when Steen will be returning.

ROH President Cary Silkin paid Steen every month after he was barred from ROH activities. Cornette told Steen that he would be back a few months later, but Cornette said he would wait another six months. Steen was dissatisfied, and his weight increased to 291 lb (132 kg). In February 2011, his deal came to an end. Steen returned to Ring of Honor in 2011 after signing a new deal with the promotion, meeting Corino who had turned face shortly after Steen's departure from the job and claimed that he needed redemption as well. However, ROH agents coerced him to leave the arena before he could demonstrate that he was a changed man. Steen ran in to save Corino from a beating at the House of Truth, but the House of Truth kept him and his sponsor Jimmy Jacobs from being defeated by him. Steen was dragged out of the arena, while Jim Cornette vowed that he would never wrestle for ROH again. The original intention was to introduce Steen as a recovering wrestler. Steen, on the other hand, turned down the proposal because he did not want to "look like the Bravado Brothers." Despite Steen's appearance as the storyline's heel, the fans took his side and booed Cornette instead. Steen invaded ROH's official message board on July 22, posting articles lauding Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. ROH's message board was "hacked" to redirect to a video, where Steen revealed that he would attend ROH's Death Before Dishonor IX the following weekend.

On the 17th of September 17, Steen interrupted a match between El Generico and Jimmy Jacobs and called out Steve Corino, who was at the time wrestling in Japan, before powerbombing Jacobs on the ring apron. Jim Cornette and ROH president Cary Silkin, who attempted to Package Piledrive, were then confronted by Steen before being led out of the arena by the security. Steen reappeared with Ohio Valley Wrestling talent Christian Mascagni as his legal advisor, threatening Jim Cornette and Ring of Honor unless he was reinstated within three weeks. Steen was granted a match against Steve Corino at Final Battle on December 3, with his ROH future in jeopardy. Steen defeated Corino on December 23, ROH's first appearance at the tournament. He gave Jimmy Jacobs a parcel piledriver before putting El Generico through a table with the same strategy. At the end of the evening, he confronted Davey Richards and promised to be the ROH World Champion in 2012. Steen defeated Jimmy Jacobs in a No Holds Barred match at the 10th Anniversary Show on March 4, 2012, and brought the pay-per-view to a halt. Davey Richards had another altercation. Steen maintained his winning streak during the Sun showdown, first defeating El Generico with Jimmy Jacobs' help on March 30 and then Eddie Edwards in a singles match on March 31. Steen defeated Davey Richards for the first time on May 12 at Border Wars, making him the first Canadian to win the ROH World Championship.

Following the match, Steve Corino entered the Ring and hugged Steen and Jacobs; the three guys went on to form a stable later named S.C.U.M. (Suffering, Chaos, Ugliness, and Mayhem) On June 15, Steen defeated Eddie Edwards in his first good title defense. Steen defeated Davey Richards to retain the ROH World Championship on June 24 at Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis. At the following pay-per-view viewing, Boiling Point was defended by Steen on August 11, who defended his title against Chikara Grand Champion Eddie Kingston. Steen made another good title defense against Rhino on September 15 at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency. A championship match between Steen and Jay Lethal ended in a no contest in Lethal's home state, New Jersey, after which Steen spat at Lethal's parents, who were on ringside. Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope, Steen, made a strong title defense against Michael Elgin seven days after beginning on internet pay-per-view. Steen was then given a box containing El Generico's mask. Steen successfully defended the ROH World Championship against El Generico in a ladder match on December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday. Steen defeated Jay Lethal in a brutal contest to hold the ROH World Championship on March 2, 2013. Steen lost the ROH World Championship to Jay Briscoe on April 5 at Supercard of Honor VII.

U.M.M. Ring of Honor Wrestling's tapings took place the following night in S.C.U.M. Steen was turned on by Corino, who said he would not be seen in ROH again. Steen, however, returned to ROH on May 4, after being a face and replacing Jay Lethal in a tag team match against S.C.U.M. Cliff Compton and Jimmy Jacobs are the producers of Cliff Compton and Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs defeated Steen for the win, but Elgin pushed out. Steen stayed rivalry with S.C.U.M. Matt Hardy defeated him by No Disqualification in a Best in the World 2013 match on June 22. Steen replaced The Briscoes due to injuries in a Steel Cage Warfare match and knocked his old stable out of ROH, despite Corino and Hardy's help with allowing Jimmy Jacobs to win the match and disband S.C.U.M. Steen qualified for the coveted ROH World Championship on August 3, beating Brian Kendrick in his first round match. Steen defeated Roderick Strong in the semifinals of the tournament on August 17, advancing to the semifinals of the competition.

Steen was disqualified from the tournament by Michael Elgin on September 20 at Death Before Dishonor XI. Steen began feuding with Michael Bennett after the tournament. Bennett was victorious at Glory By Honor XII on October 26, where he was triumphant after a tumultuous departure from his girlfriend Maria Kanellis. Steen defeated Bennett in a Stretcher match on December 14, where the loser will be compelled to avoid using the piledriver. Steen defeated Jay Lethal, Michael Elgin, and Tommaso Ciampa in a four-way number one contender's match on February 8, 2014, giving him a shot at the ROH World Championship.

On May 10 at Global Wars, Steen won his title match in Toronto, but was defeated by Adam Cole, the defending champion. Steen announced on May 17, after losing to Shinsuke Nakamura in the Ring of Honor/New Japan Pro-Wrestling co-produced War of the Worlds. Silas Young insulted him and assaulted him as a result. Steen announced that his deal was up in a "month and a half" after defeating Young on June 22 at Best in the World 2014. Steen defeated Steve Corino in his last ROH match at the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings on July 19.

Steen left ROH in 2010 when his buddy, Super Dragon, begged him to wrestle in PWG, and Steen agreed. Steen defeated Akira Tozawa in his first PWG victory in two years on December 11, 2010. After a few sporadic years, he then returned to a more prominent position in the company, but only made five appearances between 2009 and 2010. Steen was defeated by Chris Hero at PWG's annual WrestleReunion sponsored event on January 29, 2011. Steen then proceeded to face the eventual winners, the RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma), later that evening, a four-way tag team match to decide which of four teams will qualify for the 2011 DDT4 tournament. Steen will be competing with Akira Tozawa in the tournament, which took place on March 4, 2011, on February 2, 2011. Steen and Tozawa, also known as the Nightmare Violence Connection, won an upset over the Briscoe Brothers in their first round match (Jay and Mark Briscoe). Steen and Tozawa advanced to the finals of the tournament after another thrilling win over the ROH World Tag Team Champions (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli), where they were defeated by The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson). Steen first defeated PAC in a singles match, before teaming up with CIMA to defeat PWG World Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks, in a non-title match on July 23 at PWG's eighth anniversary show. In his third match of the night, Claudio Castagnoli beat Chris Hero in the main event of the evening to keep the PWG World Championship, Steen challenged him to a match and defeated him for the second time. Steen played in the 2011 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Dave Finlay and Eddie Edwards in his first round and semifinal matches. Steen was eliminated in the finals by old adversar El Generico later that night. Steen was defeated by former champion Davey Richards on September 10, making his first PWG World Championship defense.

Steen lost the PWG World Championship to El Generico in a ladder match on October 22, following The Young Bucks' interference. With Steen saved, the two joined The Young Bucks as a Guerrilla Warfare match after the match made his first appearance in over three years. Steen and Dragon, collectively known as "Appointe for Destruction," defeated The Young Bucks in a Guerrilla Warfare match to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship on December 10. Steen defeated El Generico and Eddie Edwards in a three-way match on March 17 to win the PWG World Championship for the third time. On April 21, Steen defeated Sami Callihan in an open fight for his first title defense. Steen defended the PWG World Championship against Brian Cage-Taylor on May 25, the defending champion of the PWG World Championship. After Dragon was sidelined with a heel fracture, Steen and Dragon were banned from the PWG World Tag Team Championship that night. Steen performed his third straight World Championship defense against Willie Mack on July 21 at Threemendous III, PWG's ninth anniversary celebration. After a distraction from Brian Cage, Steen was disqualified from the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles in the first round by Ricochet on September 1, 2012. Steen won the championship belt overtake by 2012 Battle of Los Angeles winner Adam Cole, but he retained the title against Michael Elgin and Ricochet on October 27, after which he challenged Cole to a match for December 1. Steen lost the PWG World Championship to Adam Cole in a Guerrilla Warfare match on December 1st.

El Generico's contract with WWE had been a long time since he and Steen reunited for the first time on January 12, 2013 at the 2013 Dynamite Duomvirate Tag Team Championship Tournament. They were defeated by The Young Bucks in the semifinals of the tournament after winning over the Briscoe Brothers and Future Shock (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly). Steen sank back into his stable "The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling" with PWG World Tag Team Champions Adam Cole and PWG World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks, on August 31, Reuben Ferguson turned heel and established a new stable named "The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling." Steen was defeated by Trevor Lee in his PWG farewell match on July 26, 2014.

Steen had signed with WWE on August 12, 2014, and was scheduled to report to their NXT developmental system on August 25. Owens, his uncle Owen, was named after Owen Hart), and NXT began airing promotional videos from November 20 to hype his forthcoming debut. Owens was a wrestler for 14 years before turning to WWE, but he didn't meet (and developed friendships with) several current WWE or NXT wrestlers on the independent circuit years ago, but WWE announced first that fighting was the best way to care for his family.

Owens defeated CJ Parker in his debut match, in which Parker deservedly gave him a cracked nose with a Third Eye (palm attack); later that night, Owens, a heel in the game, appeared to salute him. Owens fought former NXT Champion Adrian Neville to a double count out and powerbombed Neville to the apron after the match on December 18th. An irate Zayn threatened to face Owens in a match, but Owens refused to wrestle unless it was for the championship—Zayn agreed and a title match was scheduled for NXT Takeover: Rival. Owens dominated the championship from Zayn after repeatedly powerbombing a disoriented Zayn at the event on February 11, 2015. He successfully defended the NXT title against Finn Bálor on the March 25 episode of NXT. Owens' rematch for the title against Zayn went to a no contest after Owens continued to defeat an injured Zayn before Samoa Joe stopped him. Owens met Joe on the June 17 episode of NXT after weeks of tense interactions between the two characters. The two teams then began to brawl until they had to be separated after the match ended in a no contest.

Owens lost the NXT Championship to Bálor on July 4 at The Beast in the East event held in Tokyo, putting an end to his reign at 143 days. Takeover: In a ladder match against Bálor, Owens had rematch for the title, but he failed to regain the title in his last match and appearance in NXT. Owens defended the title against Zack Ryder during the NXT Championship open competition against Neville on June 8 in Raw and against Heath Slater on the June 12 episode of Main Event, despite being on the main roster as the NXT champion.

Owens made his unannounced main roster debut on Raw's May 18 episode, condemning John Cena's United States Championship open challenge and stomping on the United States title in a show of disrespect, he attacked Cena and stomped on the United States crown in a show of hostility, establishing a non-title match between the two teams in Elimination Chamber on May 31. Owens won clearly by pinfall. On June 14, Cena defeated the Cena, and Owens powerbombed Cena into the ring apron after the match. Owens then challenged Cena to a match for the United States Championship, which culminated in Cena winning by submission on July 19, putting an end to the feud. Owens engaged in a feud with Cesaro after losing to Cena, defeating him in two matches—at SummerSlam on August 23 and eight days later.

Owens defeated Ryback to win his first singles title on the main roster, the Intercontinental Championship, on September 20. Owens' first title defense appeared on WWE Network's live from Madison Square Garden, where Owens defeated Chris Jericho on October 3, which was Owens' first title defense. Owens defended the title in a rematch against Ryback on October 25, in a Cell in Hell in a Cell. Owens later competed in the tournament for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Titus O'Neil and Neville, but losing to Dean Ambrose in the semifinals at Survivor Series on November 22. Owens then fell into a feud with Ambrose, where he lost the Intercontinental Championship to Ambrose at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, bringing his reign to an end at 84 days. Owens unsuccessfully faced Ambrose for the championship on several occasions in 2016. Owens appeared in the Royal Rumble pay-per-view match on January 24, but after being defeated by Sami Zayn, Owens was dissatisfied.

Owens and Dolph Ziggler locked up a rivalry on night, and the two trading victories against each other on back-to-back episodes of Raw. Owens won the Intercontinental Championship for the second time on February 15, defeating former champion Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Tyler Breeze, and Ziggler in a thrilling five-way match. Owens defended the Intercontinental Championship against Ziggler at Fastlane on February 21. Owens lost the title against Zack Ryder in a seven-way ladder match at WrestleMania 32 on April 3. After being beaten on Raw, Owens resurfaced, causing a match against Zayn on May 1. Owens faced Zayn, Cesaro, and Miz in a deadly four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship on May 22, but the team lost the title after Miz pinned Cesaro. Owens beat AJ Styles on Raw, Owens to qualify for the 2016 Money in the Bank ladder competition, but he did not win the match on June 19.

Owens was drafted to Raw during the 2016 WWE draft. Owens was defeated by Zayn on July 24, at the Battleground. Owens defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass in SummerSlam on August 21, teaming up with Chris Jericho. Owens defeated Neville on August 22 on Raw's episode to qualify for the vacant Universal Championship four-way elimination match the following week. Owens beat Big Cass, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins in Raw's August 29 episode, his first world championship in WWE. Owens defended the title against Rollins in a singles match at Battle of Champions on September 25, then in a Cell in a Hell in a Cell match on October 30, both times after Jericho interferences. Owens and Jericho were later announced as co-captains of Team Raw's traditional Survivor Series match against Team SmackDown, alongside Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins at Survivor Series on November 20. Team SmackDown would win the tournament, according to the participants.

Owens claimed he did not need Jericho's assistance against him on Raw, and Owens suffered his first pinfall loss since being champion after losing a non-title match to Reigns on Saturday night, earning Reigns a WWE Universal Championship match against Owens. End of the Line Owens retained the championship by disqualification after Jericho intentionally struck Jericho with a Codebreaker at the match on December 18. On the resulting day, Reigns' rematch at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view tournament being under the conditions that Jericho (who would pin Reigns in a handicap match involving Owens) will win the United States Championship on January 9, 2017 episode of Raw) would be suspended over the ring in a shark proof cage. Owens defeated Reigns in a No Disqualification match at Royal Rumble on January 29, after Braun Strowman intervened. Owens defended the title against Strowman (who admitted that he helped Owens keep the WWE Universal Championship due to his dislike for Reigns and because Owens had promised him a championship shot) and then defended the title after Reigns attacked both him and Strowman later this night. Owens was pushed by Goldberg to a championship match at Fastlane on February 6, much to his dismay. Owens was not impressed with Jericho's idea of humour and instead presented Jericho with a new list as a gift, but Owens returned to Jericho and screamed at him. Owens lost the title to Goldberg in 22 seconds after a brief absence from Jericho, putting an end to his championship reign at 188 days.

Owens accepted Jericho's offer for a match at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, as long as Jericho defends the United States Championship, which Owens won for the first time in his career. Owens was reportedly traded to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, according to the episode of SmackDown Live on April 11. Owens, who would still claim his newly won title against Jericho at Payback, began referring to himself as the "Face of America" and also sporting a new appearance, having trimmed his beard and hair down while wearing a suit. Owens lost the title to Jericho on April 30, snapping his reign at 28 days. On the May 2 episode of SmackDown Live, Owens regained the title by defeating Jericho and then attacking and injuring him after the match. Owens thrashed Backlash on May 21, defeating AJ Styles by a countout to hold the United States Championship. Owens was named as one of the participants in the Money in the Bank ladder competition at Money in the Bank on June 18, along with Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Styles, Dolph Ziggler, and Baron Corbin, who were victorious.

Owens lost the United States Championship to Styles in his second reign at 66 days, but returned it to Styles on July 23 and brought it back to Styles two days later in a triple threat match involving returning Chris Jericho. Owens was rematch the following week, with Styles retained after the referee did not see Owens' shoulder up due to being mistakenly struck by Owens earlier in the match. Owens demanded a rematch with a competent official after the match. Daniel Bryan, the special guest referee of SmackDown Live, made a match between Owens and Styles for the United States Championship in SummerSlam, with Commissioner Shane McMahon as the special guest referee. Owens dropped the Face of America gimmick and reverted to the Prizefighter brand, losing both the suits, America-oriented advertisements, and his pursuit of the United States Championship. Owens was disqualified by Styles in a match where both wrestlers argued with Shane over his decision. Owens requested another match on August 22, but Shane agreed with Baron Corbin as the special guest referee, but Styles was unable to win after Corbin walked out on the match and Shane took over, distracting Owens enough for Styles to capitalize and win. Owens would not pursue Styles for the title again as long as Styles owned the property, effectively ending his feud with Styles.

Owens pleaded for another shot at the United States Championship on September 5; when Shane refused, Owens insulted Shane's children, causing him to assault Owens. As a result, Shane was banned, and Bryan announced that Mr. McMahon would appear on SmackDown Live the following week. Owens beat Shane in a Cell match after Zayn, who turned heel to shove Owens off the announce table when Shane attempted a Leap of Faith off the cell. After announcing that he helped Owens rather than allowing Shane to win, Zayn later referred to him as his "brother." During the main event, Owens and Zayn assaulted Shane McMahon, who retaliated after McMahon assaulted both with a steel chair and Orton gave Owens an RKO. On December 17, Owens and Zayn defeated Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura in a tag team match with their jobs on the line and with McMahon and Bryan as special guest referees after Bryan gave them a fast count. Both athletes will compete in the WWE Championship for AJ Styles in January 28, and secondly at Fastlane on March 11, where they met for the first time in a handicap match at Royal Rumble and then in a six-pack challenge that also involved Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, and John Cena. Bryan and McMahon fought back in their feud, resulting in a tag team match at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, where Bryan started his in-ring return after Bryan rejected Zayn. Kurt Angle, a free agent, appeared on Raw with Zayn and asked Raw General Manager Kurt Angle for a job late night. Angle was keen to play, but it ended in a no contest, and Owens and Zayn were unemployed. Both men will be granted Raw contracts by Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, overruled the following week. He lost a Money in the Bank qualifier match against Braun Strowman on May 7 in Raw. Owens and Zayn were defeated by Strowman and Lashley at Backlash on May 6, 2006. He was given another chance to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match on June 17, which he won by defeating Lashley and Elias in a triple threat match on May 14 on Raw's May 14 episode. Braun Strowman took the ladder match at the championship.

Owens unsuccessfully attempted to find a relationship with Strowman to replace an injured Sami Zayn, resulting in Strowman's death of Owen Owens' vehicle. Owens came from the top of the cage through the announce table on July 15, making him the champion of Extreme Rules. Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon gave Kevin Owens a chance to face Strowman at SummerSlam on July 23 under the stipulation that if Owens wins, he will receive Strowman's money in the Bank contract. Owens lost to Strowman at the festival on August 19. Owens sat in the middle of the Ring on the August 27 episode of Raw, after struggling to win the Intercontinental Championship from Seth Rollins, Owens said the word "I Quit" means. Owens revived to harass Bobby Lashley on the third episode of Raw on Monday. Owens was disqualified by Lashley at a singles match between Owens and Cena on October 6, but he instead joined Elias in a losing effort against Lashley and Cena. Owens sustained knee injuries that necessitated surgery on the next day, according to WWE.

Owens returned as a face in the WWE Championship match against Daniel Bryan on February 26, 2019; per Vince McMahon's orders. A returning Mustafa Ali was brought to the match, making it a triple threat match, and Owen Owens failed to win the title after Bryan pinned Ali. Owens opened a storyline, in which he congratulated Kofi Kingston for winning the WWE Championship and joined The New Day as their honorary third member after recovering from an injury. However, since Daniel Bryan sustained an injury at WrestleMania, SmackDown needed a top-notch heel, so Owens and Xavier Woods clashed on Kingston, transforming him into a heel on April 23. On May 19, Owens defeated Kingston at Money in the Bank in a losing effort. Owens and Sami Zayn team up at Stomping Grounds on June 23, defeating Big E and Xavier Woods.

Owens questioned Shane McMahon's decisions and underhanded tactics until they were interrupted by Dolph Ziggler, resulting in McMahon's booking them in a tag team match that they lost after a miscommunication. Owens expressed dissatisfaction with McMahon's stead on television over the coming week, before fleeing when McMahon ordered for protection. Owens interfered in Ziggler's match against Roman Reigns later that night, beating McMahon with a stunner, turning face around once more. Owens defeated Ziggler in 17 seconds at Extreme Rules on July 14, beating them in 17 seconds. Owens defeated Elias, one of McMahon's allies, at Smackville on July 27, 27 years old. Owens defeated McMahon in a match where Owens lost, and he would be dismissed at SummerSlam on August 11. Owens was later announced as a participant in the King of the Ring tournament, losing to Elias in the first round, where McMahon served as the special guest referee. After McMahon tapped out to Chad Gable in their King of the Ring semi-final match, where Owens was serving as the special guest referee on the September 10 episode of SmackDown Live, McMahon fired Owens. Owens attended the show as an audience member the following week, but he had also filed a kayfabe wrongful termination lawsuit against McMahon. Owens defeated McMahon in a ladder match on October 4, putting both men's careers on the line. McMahon was suspended from WWE as a result of the pre-match stipulation.

As part of the initial plan, Owens rebranded Raw on October 11. Owens played one-off appearance at WarGames: The Undisputed Age fight against The Undisputed Age featured Tommaso Ciampa's unethical character (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, and Roderick Strong), where Team Ciampa emerged victorious on November 23. Owens appeared on Team Raw on November 24, a losing effort to Team SmackDown, which also included Team NXT. Owens' feud with Seth Rollins will begin next night on Raw, Owens, and Rollins and his allies AOP (Akam and Rezar) will strike him. On January 26, 2020, Owens was ranked #27 in the Royal Rumble match, but Rollins had to call it off. Rollins then challenged Owens to a match at WrestleMania 36, which was won by Owens to bring an end to their feud. On the pre-show at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on July 19, Owens defeated Murphy, a Rollins ally. Owens began working with Aleister Black after this. Owens defeated Black in the October 12 episode of Raw after a number of matches against each other, putting an end to their feud.

Owens was introduced to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2020 Draft in October. On the October 30 episode of SmackDown to qualify for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series, he defeated Dolph Ziggler. Team SmackDown lost in a clean sweep by Team Raw on November 22, but that was at the occurrence on November 22. Owens then revived his rivalry against Roman Reigns, vying for the Universal Championship at TLC on December 20, and then again at Royal Rumble on January 31, 2021, but they were disqualified both times due to Jey Uso's help. Owens defeated Sami Zayn and assaulted Logan Paul after the match on the second night of WrestleMania 37. Owens lost to Zayn after being in a Cell at Hell in a Cell on June 20, the 20th of his life. Owens returned from SmackDown's episode on July 2nd, defeating Zayn in a Last Man Standing match at Money in the Bank, after a brief hiatus. Owens failed to win the lottery after Big E won it.

Owens was drawn to the Raw brand as part of the 2021 Draft. After Big E and Seth Rollins' non-title match, Owens and his wife became a storyline on the November 1 episode of Raw. Owens turned heel for the first time since 2019. The next week, Owens confronted Finn Bálor, confirming his heel turn. Owens defeated Big E by disqualification to be admitted to the WWE Championship match on Day 29 pay-per-view, making it a triple threat match. Owens was unsuccessful in capturing the title on Day 1 in 2022, when Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar were also included in the match, but Lesnar retained the title. In a triple threat tag team match against RK-Bro and Alpha Academy, Raw, Owens, and Rollins lost the Raw Tag Team Championship on March 7 episode. Owens revealed later that night that he was hosting "The KO Show" at WrestleMania 38, inviting "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to attend the guest, who accepted the invitation. Owens confessed that the invitation to the show was a ruse and challenged Austin to an exciting No Holds Barred match, which Austin accepted 19 years after his retirement. Owens was led out of the stadium by Dallas police officers following his injury to Austin.

Elias, Elias' younger brother, was interrupted by a clean shaven Elias on the following episode of Raw, Owens, who admitted to making a mistake by inviting Austin to a match. Owens and Ezekiel became involved in a feud in the weeks after refusing to believe he was really Elias' brother and mistakenly thought he was really Elias himself. Owens challenged Ezekiel to a match in a Cell on May 23 on Raw's May 23 episode. He accepted. Owens defeated Ezekiel at the event on June 5, despite the fact that he was out of town. Owens stretched Ezekiel out of the arena on Aug. 8, a move he hadn't used in years, effectively ending their feud.

Owens said it was time to bring back the "Prizefighter" from WWE, who has not held a championship in more than five years. He answered an open challenge by Alpha Academy and defeated Chad Gable on Aug. 22, unleashing an attack from Gable and Otis later in the game, turning face in the process. Raw Owens will receive assistance from Johnny Gargano during his match with Austin Theory on September 19th, resulting in a backstage debate with Alpha Academy, where Owens and Gargano will face Gable for a tag team match the following week. Raw Owens and Gargano, who had branded themselves the Panda Express during their time in the indies but not really working together, will defeat Alpha Acedemy in the next week.

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